Video shows how the Remote Desktop App works with Windows 10 Mobile

Microsoft has posted a new video showing how its universal Remote Desktop app works on a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone like the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. The app is currently available to download from the Windows Store in a preview version.

The brief video shows how a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone with support for [Continuum] can be connected to a mouse, keyboard and big monitor so it can be used like a Windows 10 PC. Then it shows how the smartphone can connect to a remote PC, server or cloud-based applications with the Remote Desktop app and use those applications, again on a big screen, that normally could not be used on the phone, such as Photoshop and others.

Reader comments

Video shows how the Remote Desktop App works with Windows 10 Mobile

I think it's neat but I think Microsoft needs to be stronger about Continuum for smartphones. My silly idea is to fuse together the display dock and the phone charger into one single device, then bundle it with the high-en Lumias. One box for all: charging your phone and using it as a Windows PC.

The more you bundle this, the more Continuum will be taken seriously. The more you scatter boxes around, the more it looks like "optional" and not core.

first of all, you need enable the desktop remote under setting. just use the search bar from the right on windows 8.x search for desktop remote setting. and go from their.
then, download the desktop remote app "preview", which would support continuum. then go from there, you will either enter your PC's net name or IP address, as well as the login infomation (since you are using win 8.1, I aussme your PC is using a microsoft account to log in, then enter your microsoft account log-in info, other wise, enter your local account log-in info for your PC. )
after that, just wait and see the magic to use you continuum screen exactly like your PC.

Thanks for the detailed response! I have Remote Desktop connections allowed on my desktop PC, but I don't have a static IP through my ISP. How are regular home users using this Remote Desktop app if most home Internet services don't provide static IP? I use TeamViewer (which works because of the TeamViewer login and desktop client), but I would love to utilize this Microsoft solution if it actually worked for home users.

Teamview is a good option, but however the Windows phone app fo teamview is not an windows 10 UWP app, therefore it doesn't support continuum.
I have setup one solution for a friend in my Church on that, which is using the Dynamic DNS, you need to do some setting on your router opening a PORT direct to your PC as well as the Dynamic DNS server to your Router/PORT.
And if your company or University offer thin Client connection to you, you can also use that soultion too, so you don't need to set up your own PC at home.
Besides, if you are MSDN subscriber or some simliar memeber, then Microsoft might also offer Cloud solution on Azure for that too.

Hi, could somebody send some simple tutorial how to make this app work? I am using team viewer and it is super user friendly. This remote desktop seems to need more skilled user which Iam not. :( I would like to test it since the proper mouse support in continuum mode would be great!

Microsoft still is doing a horrible job in making this function user friendly. So complicated to setup and never ever works. Pairing two computers should be as easy as a click of a button. Unless it is so, Microsoft have failed in easing consumers into useful feature. A useful feature is really uselss without it appealing to the masses.

I can RDP with my ICON as well, but I can't do other things on my phone while I'm running it, except by task-switching to other apps, which removes the Remote Desktop from the big screen. So as I said before in reference to standalone RDP, it's a poor man's Continuum.

I would like to have SSTP VPN support on the phone please! It does not need special router and firewall configuration like IPsec variants and therefore works in far more places. I used my Win8.1 VM (now Win10) over RDP not just since Continuum and it worked surprisingly well, but connecting to it is inconvenient as I have to log in with PuTTY for an SSH tunnel.

Yes. Personnaly I don't think it is cheap either. I get some access via an MSDN subscription, so can play and see what the billing is/would be. It may be great for a bigger business, or the situation where you really only need the Store apps most of the time, but a couple of times a week you need more power, x64 apps, and you can spin up a VM and do those tasks. I have actually brought up a Win 10 VM in Azure and connected to it via Continuum on my 950XL. Was like working on a Win10 PC. I was doing work though, Word, Excel, PPT, not trying to Game or watch videos, etc.

Depends. If you just want to try it out they give to a few dollars for free. If you are a student, you get certain functionalities for free. If you have msdn then you get 150 dollars a month. If you're in bizspark you get a few dollars. Otherwise you have to pay

Does anybody know if the Windows Phone 8.1's Remote Desktop app can connect to Windows 10 Home (RTM version, no insider)? I tried but it doesn't work for me. I also confirmed all the settings. The RD website says, it is compatible with upto Windows 8.1 only. Any suggestions?

Not to be picky but you need pro or higher to accept the connection. You can initiate form about anything that can run the RDP client (app). You can't allow Remore Acces into a Home machine, just Remote Assistance.

It should be able to. What are you getting for an error? I know you said you confirmed all your settings, but you should confirm them again, as well as making sure your router is not causing any issues. A good test is to try to connect to it remotely with another PC, that can help you determine where the failure point is, as it can remove the phone from the equation.

I'm having the same issue as well. Citrix works through the Edge browser so I've resorted to that. I have tested this for connecting to my desktop at home and it works fine. It would be interesting to spin up an app in Azure. Next we'll look for pass through printing.

i vpn to my company's network via cisco anyconnect fine. i believe though it only works based on some specific configuration that needs to be done on the server side (so IT would need to make changes if it doesn't already work). I forget if the wp app description mentions this or not.

They need to make RDP more user-friendly. I should be able to remote into my home PC, without having to do clunky stuff with my network. Opening Port-Forwading is not an issue - but having a static ip, and / or dynamic IP address subscription are counter-productive. I am much more inclined to just use TeamViewer's UWP app, it works with all of my devices, without any fuss.

Yes, they really do need to add a consumer version of this that comes with Windows Home and persists the connections to the cloud. Log in with your MSA and you can see all your online computers, similar to LogMeIn.

At least part of that functionality is already there. You can use OneDrive on the web to get stuff from your home PCs. That says to me it understands how to navigate backwards through your router and hit a particular device. I expect the OneDrive connection each device has with OneDrive in the cloud is what provides the path back through the network. The could build on that to support the RDP connection.

It scales correctly but mouse input doesn't work as expected. You have to hold the left mouse button down and move the mouse to drag the cursor rather than just using the mouse normally. It's close though

mouse and keyborad works for you tyhrough continuum and teamveawer? i guess it does not work , i also wrote to teamweaver, i would be really surprised that it works you, as teamweaver itself says its not supported. What works, is only touch, not mouse and keyboard correctly.

I dont understand what the hell they are waiting for on providing miracast to non-insiders on XBOne. I have a Netgear Miracast adapter, and it is painfull to use, video is really choppy, and Continuum is a lagfest.

That has been a little hit and miss for me, at least while trying to use it with a keyboard plugged into it. Some keys function, some don't. It all depends upon what app or program that is being attempted. Weird on-screen flashing and popping noises that requires a device reboot sometimes also.

My employer now has over 1000 teleworkers set up with a box that does nothing but VPN into a virtual Windows workstation. It wouldn't surprise me if they eventually convert the majority of onsite workstations to the same setup, although in the event of network trouble this setup means you are 99% dead in the water.

Agreed...you just give them a new device off the shelf (since you'd have spares) and they sign in and they are up and running again after no more than an hour. I am out a day+ if I ever would have an issue with my laptop.

I pretty much use continuum this way constantly. I have my pc hooked up to tv for gaming. But when i'm at my desk I always use my phone. I then login to my pc with the app. Although as universal becomes more popular I can see myself not needing it anymore. But I still use a lot of stuff that doesn't support it.

Couldn't see why they couldn't allow you to plug in your controller via the USB port. It would just need drivers...easier said than done, obviously.

There is a game (Halo: Spartan Assult I think) for Windows 8 that has both inputs for a touch screen AND for a controller. I think that is pretty cool, but it allows you to play a touch screen game with a controller. If my old arse tablet can handle that, I'm sure new phones can as well, haha.